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Glen Hoffsis Named Founding Dean of A-State Veterinary College

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Arkansas State University has named Dr. Glen Hoffsis as founding dean of the university’s planned College of Veterinary Medicine.

Hoffsis is a former veterinary college dean at The Ohio State University and the University of Florida, and guided the creation of the College of Veterinary Medicine at Lincoln Memorial University in Harrogate, Tennessee.

In the private sector, his past roles include associate director for veterinary services for Iams Co., a division of Mars Inc. He also served on the board of directors of Banfield Pet Hospitals, one of the nation’s largest private pet hospital companies, also owned by Mars Inc.

In a news release, A-State said that Hoffsis will provide day-to-day leadership as the university pursues accreditation, and he’ll guide the school’s search for a permanent dean. A search committee is expected to be announced in the coming weeks.

“We are thrilled that we could bring Dean Hoffsis back into higher education to help guide the launch of our program at Arkansas State,” Todd Shields, chancellor of A-State, said in the release. “His reputation as both an academician and veterinary researcher is outstanding, and we are confident his connections and knowledge within the field will be a major asset in our goal of educating more veterinarians for our state and region.”

During his seven-year tenure as the head of the University of Florida’s veterinary college, Hoffsis oversaw construction of a new small animal hospital and developed a veterinary student enrollment expansion program. At Ohio State, where he was dean for 10 years, Hoffsis led his alma mater to a top five national ranking among veterinary colleges.

Hoffsis holds bachelor’s in animal science, a master’s in internal medicine and a doctorate in veterinary medicine from Ohio State. He’s a past president and executive board member of the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges, past president of the American Association of Bovine Practitioners, a past member of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine qualifying examination committee, a former co-chair of the large animal program for the American Veterinary Medical Association, and past member of the Florida Veterinary Medical Association’s board of directors.

Fall 2026 is the preliminary date for inaugural classes at A-State.

The veterinary college is one of two being planned in Arkansas. The other is being developed by Lyon College and will be led by Eleanor Green, former dean of veterinary medicine at Texas A&M University. Classes could begin at the college’s campus in downtown Little Rock as early as 2025.

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